Besties, here's creamy chicken wild rice soup! Easy stovetop or slow cooker recipe with rich flavors and perfect hearty texture.
The macros in this soup are AMAZING. Easy soup recipes are all the rage, this one is a family favorite! We love it with Flaky Sourdough Discard Biscuits and a melty Honey Butter Spread for a cozy fall vibe.
We're really enjoying the slightly different flavor of the creamy chicken and wild rice in this soup. It's also better for you than white rice, which is an added benefit. Butternut squash, peas, and mushrooms also give it an amazing flavor profile. I also use aromatics like carrots and celery and a little bit of fresh thyme to lift this soup to a lovely level!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Savory from the chicken and onion, a little sweet from the carrot and butternut squash, and the texture from the wild rice is so nice!
- Ease: Chopping and prepping the veggies is the hardest part. Then it's dump and cook!
- Time: It takes 10 minutes to chop all the
🛒 Ingredient Notes
- Butternut Squash - used for fall purposes. Acorn squash or pumpkin is another great one to use!
- Mushrooms - for the umami! And more fall purposes. You can use any you like, but I use button and portobello the most.
- Rice- pure wild rice vs wild rice blend
- Pure wild rice takes 45-50 minutes to cook, blends take 30-40 minutes. I like to use a wild rice blend, but brown rice will work in a pinch and has the same cooking time.
- Aromatics - carrots, celery, and onion.
- Chicken broth - I love to use homemade Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth but it's super easy to use store bought OR use 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon as a substitute.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- For a vegetarian option, simply omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth/bouillon.
- For a gluten free option, make sure to use 1-2 TB cornstarch instead of flour to thicken.
- Use a variety of mushrooms and other fall vegetables! I've used acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, leeks, and parsnips.
- Creamy soup isn't for everyone, if you want a dairy free version, simply replace the milk with the same amount of chicken or vegetable broth or even a plant based milk.
- Gluten free, simply use cornstarch in place of flour (half the amount of flour).
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced chicken and onions, and cook until onions are soft and chicken is cooked through.
- Step 2. Add chicken broth, rice, peas, mushrooms, squash, carrots, celery, and all spices. Bring soup to boil, then turn to low heat, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until rice is soft.
- Step 3. Whisk together milk and flour in small bowl, making sure mixture is smooth.
- Step 4. Slowly pour into soup, stirring constantly. Cook for another 5 minutes, until soup has thickened. Serve warm with some crusty, cheesy irish soda bread or homemade yeast rolls for the coziest dinner ever, shire style.
Rice Mechanics - avoid gummy or undercooked rice
- Wild rice behaves differently because of the starch content and hulls on the outsides that white rice doesn't have. Because of that it needs nearly double the cooking time to be nice and soft.
- You can prevent rice from absorbing all of the broth a few different ways:
- Reduce the amound of rice (1 cup to ¾ cup).
- Increase the amount of broth used.
- You can par-cook rice or add pre-cooked rice at the end.
Pro Tip: For a more soupy finish, cook rice separately and add to bowls when serving - best for make-ahead or freezing. After cooling the soup becomes more of a stew texture, so reheat with a little extra broth or water.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Gummy rice → overcooked or cooked too long in concentrated broth → fix: cook rice separately next time.
- Broken/separated soup (curdled milk) → too high of heat or added dairy too early → fix: remove from heat, whisk in little cold cream or an emulsifier.
- Bland soup → under-reduced stock, or missing acid/umami → add lemon juice, vinegar, or a splash of soy/Worcestershire; finish with fresh herbs.
- Too thin → reduction or appropriate thickener; too thick → thin with hot chicken stock.
⏱️ Three Tested Methods
- Stovetop Method (best texture & my preferred method)
- Sear chicken and veggies → add stock → simmer rice until al dente → finish with milk/thickener.
- Slow Cooker Method (set-and-forget)
- Browning veggies/chicken first, add spices, then add rice and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Method (fast & flavorful)
- Same prep as for slow cooker: saute chicken and veggies first, add other ingredients (in at least an 8 qt pressure cooker), cook 15 minutes and natural release. Stir in milk/thickener last.
❄️ Make Ahead, Freeze, Reheat
- Freeze: up to 3 months, thaw overnight in fridge and reheat gently.
- Refrigeration: 3-4 days.
- Reheating tips to restore creaminess (whisk in splash of stock or cream, re-emulsify with butter).
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Crusty bread, garlic cheddar drop biscuits or a simple lemon caesar salad.
You can whisk in warm whole milk, greek yogurt, or cream off heat, or blend part of the soup.
In the soup, about 35-40 minutes. Separately, about 30-35 minutes.
🥣 More Cozy Soup Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts (approx. 1.5 pounds) diced into bite size pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup mixed wild & brown rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup chopped)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
Spices:
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
To Thicken:
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour 45 g
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat. 2 chicken breasts (approx. 1.5 pounds) diced into bite size pieces and 1 medium yellow onion, diced, and cook until onions are soft and chicken is cooked through.
- Add6 cups chicken broth, 1 cup mixed wild & brown rice, 1 cup frozen peas, 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced, 2 cups diced butternut squash, 2 large carrots, peeled and diced, 2 ribs celery, chopped and all spices. Bring soup to boil, then turn to low heat, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until rice is soft. 2 teaspoons garlic powder,1 teaspoon chicken bouillon,1 teaspoon onion powder,1½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper ,½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Whisk together1.5 cups whole milk and ⅓ cup all purpose flour in small bowl, making sure mixture is smooth. Slowly pour into soup, stirring constantly. Cook for another 5 minutes, until soup has thickened.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Annie B. says
So many of my favorite things in here! Mushrooms, wild rice, & chicken!? Yey!